The US has a self regulated supplement industry in certain regards (the FDA currently regulates the quality and amount claimed on the label) which enables Americans access to many compounds that have a documented history of safety, however because most of them can not be patented there is little incentive to get them FDA approved as drugs. Many supplements are approved in other countries as drugs however with varying amount of research regarding it's safety. Some companies do sell some questionable products in terms of safety but ultimately it's up to the consumer to decide what they want and their risk.
Personally I don't want to live in a country where my options for health are limited or determined by the FDA (massive and undeniable history of corruption and abuse) rather by me and/or my doctor.
Yep, both ways have their drawbacks. With our way of doing it sometimes it takes waaaay too much time to get a product approved especially if there is no massive lawyer army clamoring for it. Hell, it took 10 years for Stevia rebaudiana to get approved for use as a condiment. Now that's completely and utterly absurd.
On the other hand the FDA is more concerned with governing and rewarding itself, instead of actively going out and looking out for US citizens. One only needs to look at the whole Methylhexanamine/DMAA scandal last year, where it had been clear way before the deaths happened that it's not a very bright idea to add vast amounts of pseudo-amphetamins to sports stimulants. The FDA did nothing (and legally could do nothing) until after the fact.
Yeah I was really happy to finally see Stevia approved even though it took a massive multinational company to make it happen while you could buy the herb at a health store a decade prior.
Methylhexanamine/DMAA is an excellent point of a overall bad compound on the market. But it's the demand from users that drives it's sales and usage. Not sure if banning it or even making illegal will make any impact on diehard users (people still use ephedrine but now they just buy it from Canada or behind the pharmacy in the US) but I do agree it will help save some lives especially those who have no idea what they are putting in their bodies. That's what I feel is the most important aspect to address. Self education of what you're putting in your body when it comes to food, supplements, and drugs.
Not that the FDA is overtly focused on compounds it regulates that causes deaths if it was acetaminophen would have been banned long ago. I think the FDA has alot on it's plate and tends to act more when the media gets involved than anything else.